‘Shark Tank’ Star Daymond John Opens Up About Cancer Diagnosis

Shark Tank star Daymond John revealed today on Good Morning America that he was diagnosed with Stage 2 thyroid cancer earlier this year.

During a thorough physical (called an executive physical usually administered to high-profile executives and other similarly situated individuals) in March, doctors found a small nodule on his thyroid. A biopsy suggested that it might or might not be cancerous, which turned out to be cancerous after it was tested post-surgery.

John said that there were no symptoms that would have indicated a problem with his thyroid, but he went ahead with the surgery in April. He also said that he is feeling great and was even out partying two days after the procedure.

“You know, I didn’t skip a beat. I went to and I got some early detections, and I understood that I had a challenge, and if I would attack it now, then I wouldn’t let it attack me.”

The millionaire apparel entrepreneur also told GMA co-host Robin Roberts, herself a cancer survivor, that he hopes this disclosure will inspire others to be proactive about health, insofar as mammograms, colonoscopies, or other forms of routine but necessary testing that could lead to early detection of health issues are concerned.

John indicated that he is cancer-free, but doctors will need to monitor the remaining half of his thyroid on a regular basis for any recurrence of cancer.

Watch the GMA clip embedded below.

In an interview with People about his thyroid diagnosis, the FUBU boss defined the true meaning of success.

“No matter how successful you think you are, if you are not healthy, it doesn’t matter what money you make.”

He also explained to People that he maintained a positive attitude once he learned of the thyroid issue.

“I’m not the type of guy who sees the glass as half empty. The glass is always half full. Once I realized that there was something I could actually do to get rid of it, I was extremely happy.”

John, 48, underscored that wants to be around to walk his three daughters down the aisle when they get married, he told Roberts.

“A man with his health has a thousand dreams; a man without his health only has one,” the Shark Tank star observed in publicly revealing his cancer treatment for the first time.

[Image by Jason DeCrow/Invision for Gillette/AP Images]

The Shark Tank Season 8 finale airs on ABC on May 12 at its usual 9 p.m. Eastern time slot. John noted that the popular and Emmy-winning reality show, which is heading toward its 200th episode, “has been good to me and so many others” particularly the small business owners who are seeking the American Dream.

If you haven’t the seen Shark Tank, what happens on the show is that entrepreneurs or would-be entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to five often obnoxious, but oddly engaging, deep-pocketed “sharks” and try to convince at least one of them to invest in their venture.

The wealthy sharks are sometimes overly stingy with their money or overreaching with their demands for equity in a company or with their insistence on outsourcing manufacturing of a given product overseas. Daymond John is often uniquely unpredictable in how he reacts to a pitch, which gives the program an even more provocative dimension.

{image by Jordan Strauss/Invision for Entertainment Weekly/AP Images)

The other sharks, all of whom have become big TV celebrities, are Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, and “Mr. Wonderful” Kevin O’Leary, along with some guest sharks that substitute for them from time to time.

A Canadian TV show called Dragon’s Den, which starred Herjavec and O’Leary, was the precursor to Shark Tank in the U.S.

Daymond John’s TV colleague, the previously apolitical O’Leary who predicted that Donald Trump would win the U.S. presidency, is currently seeking the leadership of Canada’s Conservative Party as a stepping stone to run for prime minister in 2019.